Angelina Jolie 'bought Brad Pitt typewriter belonging to Ernest Hemingway for $290k'

ANGELINA Jolie reportedly laid down hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy Ernest Hemingway's last typewriter as a birthday gift for Brad Pitt.

Birthday gift ... Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at this year's Oscars. Picture: AFP

ANGELINA Jolie reportedly laid down a quarter of a million bucks to buy the last typewriter Ernest Hemingway used before killing himself.

According to TMZ, the typewriter was a wedding gift for Jolie’s now-husband, Brad Pitt.

Sources connected to the couple told TMZthat Jolie’s agent contacted Los Angeles Police Commission President Steve Soboroff, who has an impressive typewriter collection, including Hemingway's 1926 Underwood. She reportedly paid $US250,000 ($290,000).

Apparently Hemmingway used the typewriter for his works in the late 1930s, and For Whom the Bell Tolls, which was published in 1940.

According to TMZ, the actress initially wanted to buy a typewriter used by Tennessee Williams, but Soboroff wouldn’t part with it. 

TMZ is reporting that Jolie’s agent sent a deposit cheque from the actress’ production company - Chivan Productions - for close to $US12,000, but at some point she had a change of heart and cancelled the deal.

(Apparently she didn’t ask for the cash back, but it was returned.) 

Soboroff has a number of epic typewriters, including those owned by the Unabomber, John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, and he just snapped up Jerry Siegel's, who used the typewriter to create Superman.